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from Tempe Thomas (Betty Jean, The Marvelous Wonderettes)

We start Tuesday!  I’m so excited! Going into a rehearsal process you always worry about making the best use of the time you have in that rehearsal room, since our job is to give a closing night performance on opening (Carol Channing said that in her autobiography– lady knew what she was talking about).  By that she means, it’s easy to get to know your character and how she feels about everything that happens after doing the play a thousand times; the trick is to figure out as much of that as possible during rehearsal.   To help myself, I’m re-reading the script and making notes, I’m working with my voice teacher Jen Loftus on my solo songs, and I’m watching some I Love Lucy.  That’s right.  My job is pretty awesome.

I will say the hardest thing about this show will be tackling these songs that everybody’s heard a thousand times and feeling them all over again.  My character sings “It’s My Party,” which I’ve heard so much it’s easy to forget what Lesley Gore is singing about.  And I get to decide how I want to sing it this time around, listening to the Lesley Gore recording, as well as The Marvelous Wonderettes original cast recording.  What is she saying?  When is she repeating what she’s already said?  Why?  Not that I have all the answers to these questions going in, but part of my job is figuring out what to ask in the first place.

And now I’m heading out the door to go over to Dina’s (Cindy Lou) to watch Beach Blanket Bingo and Love Me Tender with the girls.  Dina’s cooking up some 50s finger foods, and we’ll use the night to do important research… and by that I mean get to know each other and get excited about Tuesday.  Did I mention my job was awesome?

from Dina DiCostanzo, (Cindy Lou, The Marvelous Wonderettes)

Girls dancing in bikinis, smooching on the beach, singing by the fire roasting weenies…  Who knew Beach Blanket Bingo was so risque?!

The Wonderettes all came over to my place tonight for a pre-rehearsal fun get together.  We snacked/gorged ourselves on both cucumber and curry chicken salad tea sandwiches, crudites (well, carrots), deviled eggs, Black Cows, and…the surprise hit of the night…strawberry pretzel jello!  All was delicious.

Strawberry pretzel jello, Black Cows, and show research!

Ok, Beach Blanket Bingo is so bad it’s good.  You know?  The sound effects are bad, the editing is bad, the acting is bad…but it’s so hilarious you can’t help but love it!  BBB was released in 1965, right in the middle of the time periods when The Marvelous Wonderettes takes place,1958 and 1968.  It was fun to see what the “kids” were wearing, what kind of music they were listening to and how they talked.  There was a song sung by Donna Loren called “It Only Hurts When I Cry” (sung at the weenie roast - random!) which reminded me of the song “Maybe” in MW.  I think tonight not only put us in 50s/60s mode but also helped us get a head start on creating chemistry as a foursome.

Good times tonight…looking forward to more!

A self-portrait of the "Fabulous Four"

from Dina DiCostanzo (Cindy Lou, The Marvelous Wonderettes)

“Can you please learn all this great music from the 50s and 60s?”
“Can you put on this really cute dress?”
“Can you work at one of the top theatres in the Chicagoland area?”

…Uh, YEAH I can!

What a treat for me.   There is no way this show won’t be fun.  I mean, this music!  They don’t write ‘em like this anymore.  Simple, pure, fun.

Don’t get me wrong, we are all going to be working very hard on putting this show together.  There are lots of harmonies to learn, staging and dialogue to perfect, and moments to achieve, but I’m confident even all that will be fun.  The four of us girls are even getting together before rehearsal starts to watch some fun movies from the time like Beach Blanket Bingo!  Having auditioned and been cast over 4 months ago, I know we are all VERY excited to get started on this…and our wait is almost over!

from Jason Silverman, Senior Camp Counselor

Hello Everyone,

As the weather is finally heating up, NTA Camp 2009 has sadly come to a close.  What a terrific summer it has been for kids, one that is filled with learning and fun.  It amazes me to see the growth that our campers can have over 4 weeks.  A kid who walks in completely self-conscious and nervous about performing walks out confident and more self-assured.  It really is possible to change a kid’s life in 4 weeks, and that is what we do here at NTA.

Our Junior Camp showcase, “Imagination Unleashed,” was beautiful, sweet, and endearing.  Filled with big, bold, and imaginative characters from Africa, Indiana, and the sea, “Imagination Unleashed” was a precious experience for everyone involved.  Our Senior Camp showcase, “The Outfit,” pushed our Senior Campers outside of their comfort zone, versing them in different theatrical styles and art forms. The result was a show as beautiful as the outfits described in the story.

Our last day of camp was packed with an incredible Elective Showcase with both camps seeing what each other has been up to.  We got everything from improv to mask work to African dance!  Each camp also had their own respective talent shows, which were amazing!  At the end of the day, we all came together to have one last ice cream party, complete with sprinkles and dancing.  Although it wasn’t a pool day, we had SO much fun.  What a perfect way to end the summer than with all of your friends here at NTA!

So at the end of these 8 weeks, I can say that we had an incredible summer here at NTA.  Our campers continue to amaze and inspire us each and every day and that is why we do it.  We come to the theatre to play and that is what we did.  We played every single day with our campers and what a joy it is to have every day be simply play.  Our imaginations have been unleashed and we will never forget our amazing memories and friends from NTA Summer Camp 2009!